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President Jammeh Harps on Discipline in the Army

President Jammeh on Friday, 30th March 2007, presided over the passing out ceremony of recruit intakes 28A, 28B and 28C of the Gambia National Army, held at the 22nd July Square in Banjul. The intake of 573 recruits, the largest so far in the history of the Gambia Armed Forces consists of 27 female soldiers.

In his keynote address, President Jammeh, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, said the armed forces is a highly disciplined force where absolute loyalty is

required. “As soldiers there’s no neutral position. You are either loyal or disloyal. And if you are the latter you are asking for trouble in joining my armed forces,” he warned, adding: “If you are not loyal, you are in the wrong place. Because sooner or later you will stand out.”

According to President Jammeh, people join the army for various reasons. He said patriotic citizens join the armed forces. He said: “As far as The Gambia Armed Forces is concerned, you are here to ensure that our territorial integrity, our independence and our dignity as a nation is not violated by anybody from any part of the world.”

He pointed out that he is still part of the armed forces and promised not to ever forget them. “If I forget you, I forget the Gambian people. No matter what you are told, you can always count on your Commander-in Chief. I will be with you in any part of the country where you are in any operation.

“We are also to ensure that The Gambia remains a united and developed country. It is a small country where we are all related.”

He warned that tribalism and intolerance on the grounds of religion would never be encouraged in the armed forces. “In the armed forces, you see the country as a whole,” he said.

“This country,” he said “we are here to see a country that world be exemplary not only in Africa but in the whole world. And that requires absolute loyalty because you and I would lay down our lives to defend the integrity and independence of this country and the socio-economic advancement that we are going to achieve. For the development of The Gambia, the sky is the limit,” he reiterated.

He acknowledged that although all Gambians may serve their country in one way or the other, serving in the armed forces is the most noble because, in his opinion, it has the highest pride.

“The highest pride to say, while Gambians are sleeping you are out there making sure there is no trouble. This is a most noble job you can do for your country, and for which you should be proud.”

President Jammeh maintained that the role of the armed forces is very vital in the socio-economic development of any nation.

He said that for development in any country to be sustained, the absolute loyalty of the armed forces to the country is indispensable.

He revealed that by September 2007, he is going to introduce a programme for the armed forces where students who want to join the army could be sponsored by the army to do any course that they may desire and, upon graduation, they would enlist for service in the army.

For his part, Colonel Lang Tombong Tamba, the Chief of Defense Staff of The Gambia Armed Forces, told the passing out recruits to always keep in mind that military is about serving the nation and serving the people, adding that they should always remember that the army is always subordinate to civil authority. He cautioned them to be ready to defend the people at all times and not to offend them in anyway.

In CDS Tamba’s view, the Security of the nation doesn’t rest on the military alone, noting that Security is every body’s business. He said it is the “collective responsibility of every Gambian and that all Gambians who cherish peace should be on the look-out and report any abnormality to the nearest security post.”

Meanwhile, 10 recruits were promoted and decorated by the president to the rank of Lance Corporal in recognition of their sterling performance during the cause of their training.